ALS (OTCMKTS:CPBLF – Get Free Report) is one of 205 public companies in the “Professional Services” industry, but how does it compare to its competitors? We will compare ALS to similar companies based on the strength of its dividends, risk, earnings, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.
Profitability
This table compares ALS and its competitors’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| ALS | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| ALS Competitors | 1.79% | 22.52% | 4.69% |
Dividends
ALS pays an annual dividend of $0.39 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. ALS pays out 134.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, “Professional Services” companies pay a dividend yield of 2.6% and pay out -158.5% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. ALS lags its competitors as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio.
Analyst Recommendations
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| ALS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
| ALS Competitors | 1481 | 6308 | 9079 | 477 | 2.49 |
ALS currently has a consensus target price of $28.00, suggesting a potential upside of 77.50%. As a group, “Professional Services” companies have a potential upside of 35.88%. Given ALS’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe ALS is more favorable than its competitors.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares ALS and its competitors gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Net Income | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| ALS | N/A | N/A | 54.57 |
| ALS Competitors | $3.35 billion | $224.60 million | 34.25 |
ALS’s competitors have higher revenue and earnings than ALS. ALS is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
23.2% of ALS shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 57.6% of shares of all “Professional Services” companies are owned by institutional investors. 17.0% of shares of all “Professional Services” companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Summary
ALS competitors beat ALS on 9 of the 13 factors compared.
ALS Company Profile
ALS Limited provides professional technical services primarily in the areas of testing, measurement, and inspection in Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. It operates in two segments, Commodities and Life Sciences. The Commodities segment offers assaying and analytical testing, and metallurgical services for the mining and mineral exploration companies. Its testing and consulting services cover the resource life cycle, including exploration, feasibility, optimization, production, design, development, trade, and rehabilitation. This segment also provides coal sampling, analysis and certification, formation evaluation, and related analytical testing services. The Life Sciences segment offers analytical testing and sampling, and remote monitoring services for the environmental, food, pharmaceutical, and consumer products markets; and microbiological, physical, and chemical testing services. This segment provides analytical testing data to assist consulting and engineering firms, industries, and governments. ALS Limited was founded in 1863 and is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia.
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